Environmental Team: The Green Team includes a representative from each department and elects a Green Champion from within the team. The team meets bi-monthly and assists the hotel with communicating all new initiatives, coaching & training other associates, collecting best practices & reviewing results of current practices.

Set Annual Goals: As a LEED certified building, the hotel has a living process to monitor, assess and continuously improve all areas of sustainability, including energy, water, indoor air quality, materials & resources, as well as innovations.

We have a purchasing policy to encourage the purchase of environmentally-friendly products and services

Environmental Restoration or Community Environmental Projects: Associates volunteer with Maryland Food Bank. Presentations are given to local schools on green buildings & living. The hotel offers a 'Green Your Stay' program which allows guests to assist in preserving the Amazon rain forest.

Independently Audited Environmental Management System: The hotel utilizes tools within the LEED rating system as a basis for structuring all sustainable features & initiatives.

Waste Reduction

We use the following best management practices:

Have a plan in place to reduce property waste

Track overall waste bills and established baseline data for quantity of wastes produced

Other details on lighting: We reduce exterior light pollution by incorporating shades on outdoor fixtures and placing light fixtures only where needed. This lessens disruption of migratory species, restoring light balance to their environment.

Heating and Cooling

Regularly perform preventative maintenance on HVAC system

Have programmable thermostats for each room and ensure they are properly adjusted

Have installed additional insulation

Energy Efficiency:

Generate electricity from a wind turbine

ENERGY STAR computers, appliances, office equipments etc.

Have thermal-rated windows and insulation

Turn off all electrical items in unoccupied rooms when not in use or at the end of the day

Purchased Green Tags or Renewable Energy Certificates to support new renewable energy resources

Use ENERGY STAR's Portfolio Manager

Use Energy Star's Benchmarking Tool for the Hospitality Industry

Our Innovative Ideas and Specifics in Energy Conservation and Efficiency

Activities we undertake to make our events green are:At a green event, we will display recycling bins in a designated location. We also offer tours of our hotel to emphasize our green initiatives for those who share a passion for helping the environment.

Other Green Practices

Transportation:

We use the following best management practices:

Minimize the Comute of our Employees-50% of our associates carpool.

Addressing Efficient Business Travel-A shuttle service is provided for guests, minimizing vehicle use and is shared with multiple hotels in the BWI area. We offer free bike use for errands or commuting. In addition, prime location to the National Aquarium makes us top among green hotels in the Baltimore area.

For guests:

Provide preferred parking for hybrid or other fuel efficient vehicles

Offer shuttle service to/from mass transit locations

Green Building:

Our building is LEED certifiedx:

LEED Gold

Sustainable Building Materials:A recent construction project utilized all sustainable building materials, including low-VOC paints & materials as well as FSC lumber.

We promote local Baltimore products in our hotel market, such as Zeke's Coffee and Michele's Granola.

Measurable Results

(1) Reduce indoor water use by 33% through installation of low-flow aerators, shower heads & toilets. (2) Use 52% less water by using rain gauges that measure soil moisture, only watering as needed. (3) Operate 33% above the national average in an Energy Star rated hotel. (4) 100% renewable energy credits purchased. (5) 70% of hotel waste diverted from landfills through reduction, recycling & composting. (6) Breakfast is waste-neutral, yielding 4000 lbs. of topsoil per year, through composting. (7) Use cleaning cloths made from 30% recycled material.